Ball honing device



Sept. 2, 1947. R, Ems 2,426,925

BALL HONING DEVICE Filed Dec. 10, 1942 .2 v Z 22' I INVENTOR BY Fo Zo Z/ZZ s.

' ATTORNEYS,

Patented Sept. 2, 1947 BALL HONING DEVICE Rollo G. Ellis, Royal Oak,Mich, assignor to Micromatic Hone Corporation, Detroit, Mich., acorporation of Michigan.

Application December 10, 1942, Serial No. 468,493

This invention relates to methods and devices for honing sphericalsurfaces, and particularly to a method and device for honing the outersurface of a sphere to accurate form and dimension.

The main objects of this invention are: to yrate a workpiece having aspherical surface within a honing tool; to support the workpiece on theend of an arbor and rotate the workpiece as its axis is revolved on thesurface of a cone having its apex in the center of the tool; to drive ashaft having a crank arm which supports an arbor at an angle to theshaft as the arbor is rotated by a pinion secured thereto which is inmesh relation with a stationary bevel gear disposed coaxially of theshaft; to provide a honing tool with abrasive stones which are movabletoward and away from each other with adjusting means for so moving thestones and with, means for adjusting the tool about its vertical axis;to provide a method of honing a spherical surface which embodies theengagement of the surface with stones of a honing tool which aredisposed parallel to the base of a cone described by the work supportingarbor as it is rotated and revolved by a suitable driving mechanism;and, in general, to provide a method and device for honing sphericalsurfaces which is simple in construction, positive in operation, andeconomical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of this invention will bespecifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for abetter understanding of this invention, to the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a honing device embodying features of thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is a broken view of the honing device illustrated in Fig. l, withthe honing tool disposed in position to be movable over a workpiece;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated inFig. 1, taken on the line 3-3 thereof; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated inFig. 3, taken on the line 44 thereof.

Referring to the figures, the base ID of the machine supports a pair ofslideways I I upon which a slide I2 is movable toward and from aworkpiece .|3. The workpiece is herein illustrated as being a hollowtruncated spherical element having a pair of flanges I4 on oppositesides of the spherical surface I5 which is to be honed. Upon the slideI2, a body iii of the honing tool is secured by the elements I! and I8,which have ar- 1 Claim. (01. 51-161 cuateshaped flanges I9 which extendover the projecting feet 2| and 22 of the body portion. Acentrally-disposed stud 22, on the bottom of the body portion I6,projects into an aperture 23 in the slide I2 and forms a pivot aboutwhich the body portion I6 may be swung fromthe position illustrated inFig. 2.to.that illustrated in Fig. 1. A pair of spaced shoes 24 aresupported in'the body portion, to which abrasive stones 25 havingsegmental spherical faces 26 are secured. The rearedges of theshoes 24are provided with sloping surfaces 21, which are engaged by slopingsurfaces 28 on the arms29 of the yoke 3 I. The yoke is supported on athreaded'stud 32 upon a yoke element 33, through which the stud extendsand relative to which itis adjusted by a handwheel 34, which isscrewedonto the stud 32. A spring 35 is disposed betw'eentheyoke- 3| andyoke element 33 for biasing the yoke 3| downwardly When the handwheel 34is backed off on the thread 32, out of engagement with the yoke element33.

Apertures 36 and 31 are provided in the slide |2 through which a pin 38projects for positioning the honing tool in one or the other of itspositions, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Springs 39 engage the shoes24 and urge them toward the arms 29 for retracting the stones when theyoke 3| is drawn upwardly after a honing operation.

The workpiece I3 is supported on an arbor 4| when secured by the jaws 42which are movable inwardly and outwardly by a thumb screw 43 on the endof the rod 44 which extends through the arbor. The arbor is supported bya bearing 45 mounted in an angularly disposed boss 46 on a crank 41 onthe end of a shaft 48. The shaft is supported by a bearing 49, whichprojects from an element 5| which is secured to the base ID by aplurality of bolts 52. The shaft 48 extends through the central apertureof a bevel gear 53 which is secured against rotation by the bearing 49.A beveled pinion '54 is secured to the arbor 4| in meshed relation withthe bevel gear 53.

The shaft is rotated by a motor 55, operating through a gear reductionunit 56 which rotates the shaft 48 and therefore the crank 41 to revolvethe arbor 4| on the surface of a cone, the apex of which is on thecenter of the sphere defined by the faces 26 of the stones 25. As thearbor is revolved on the surface of a cone, it is rotated as the pinion54 revolves about the gear 53 to gyrate the workpiece between theabrasive stones 25 to perform the honing operation.

After the workpiece is clamped by the jaws 42 to the end of the arbor4|, the honing tool is moved toward and over the workpiece whenpositioned normal to the arbor, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Thereafter,the honing tool is revolved about the stud 22 to the positionillustrated in Fig. 1, where it is secured by the pin 38 when insertedinto the aperture 36, This positions the abrasive stones at oppositeends of the spherical surface l in a plane normal to the base of theconical surface traced by the arborwvhen revolved. v.llll'iblenjthecrank arm 4'! has been revolved through 180 degrees to the opposite sideof the gear 53, the relative position of the stones will have changed sothat they will be at the opposite endspfxthe workpiece.

By backing ofi the handwheel iikthe spring;35

exerts a downward pressure onthe wedge-shapedarms 29 which applies apredetermined inward pressure to the abrasive stone-$225 ,WhiQhsQDEfiRthe spherical surface of the workpiece. After the honing operation, thehandwheel 34 is screwed down upon the yoke element 33 to withdraw theyoke 6| and: arms' "29-=to permit theesprings -89 to move theishoesrfland stones zseawaycfrom each. other out of engagement with- ;thesurface. Thereafter the body :portion 'lt is shiftedxabout the stud 22to l thesposition illustrated in' -Eig.' 2

normal to the-harbor so thaeitmay. be moved away from .the workplace Theworkpiece .may then be removed from the arbor --and another workpiecesecured-thereto.

By rotating-and gyrating theworkpiece within the honing tool, amore-rugged: tool may be: employed in which -large :stonesaare utilized.The larger stones increase the stone ii-fe produce more rapid abrasionand -accurate r form 1 tothe spherical surface. The rotation of theworkpiece in its revolution on thesurface of the cone presents all -thepoints of the surface to each of the stones, so that the surface will beabraded and ing a workpiece, means for driving said arbor in---rotation, means for causing said arbor to revolve on-,-.the;surfaceof a cone as it is driven, with the apex of the cone disposed on thecenter of the tool,-=rneans for-adjusting the stones toward andayvay"from the workpiece, and means for adjusting saidtool angularly 0nthe slide to have it disposed normalztothe movement of the slide so asto move over said workpiece and to be moved angularly thereafter into aposition normal to the axis of the cone on the surface of which thearbor revolves;

ROLLO G. :ELLIS.

.B'EFERENCES CITED The following referenees are of record in the file ofthis "patent:

*UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '1,"635,469 'Ericsson July 12,1927 139501785 'Capps Mar. 13, 1934 2,258,571 Indge V Oct. '7, 19411;81=1,21-9 Vetter a June 23, 1931 2,139,896 Johnson Dem-13, 1988FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 328,849 Great Britain May 8, Y 1-930

